A New Year Plus Some

A new year unfolds before us. It is up to us to figure out what we want to do with it.

We are lucky to be able to take advantage of some good inertia from previous years. Lots of new brothers have been raised, which translates to lots of new ideas for the lodge. Also, many of our older brothers are still gracing us with their experience and fellowship. I can’t think of a better recipe for a strong lodge.

People often set resolutions for themselve at the beginning of any given year. As masons and as a lodge, we should be no different in this regard. This year, as with every year, we should continue our resolutions to be better men — keep open minds, be compassionate with those who believe differently than us, and think twice before entertaining negative thoughts — are all good places to start. And we should continue our resolutions to be a better lodge — listen to alternative ideas, explore opportunities to show the community that masons are still here and watching out for them, and being true to the tenets of our Noble Craft.

This year, let’s stay true to these resolutions as best we can. Not only that, let’s perform beyond our resolutions, beyond the bar we have set for ourselves.

It may not be the easiest thing to do, my brothers, but it is the masonic thing to do.